As heard on Fox Sports 1’s Speak for Yourself, the analyst said the fact that Saban wasn’t successful in the NFL bothers the coach. Cowherd goes on to say that Saban is “frustrated” as the veteran leader begins to consider his legacy.

“He’s getting cranky,” Cowherd said on the show. “I believe, he’s starting to, on the back four or five holes of his life, sense his legacy, and it drives him crazy that Pete Carroll won in the NFL and college and Jim Harbaugh won in the NFL and is going to win a title in college. … When we talk great coaches, we don’t talk Bo Schembechler, we talk (Bill) Walsh and (Tom) Coughlin. We do. We never mention Woody Hayes. Nick Saban is frustrated, because he is looked at not as an all-time great (like) Jimmy Johnson, Pete Carroll.”

This point is debatable, but it makes for fascinating fodder. Only Saban knows how much is lack of success in the NFL — he went 15-17 with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and ’06 — bothers him.

But at this point, it would seem silly to lose sleep over such a thing. After all, he has won five national titles and seven SEC championships during memorable stints at LSU and Alabama. Few bring up Saban’s shortcomings at Miami when considering his legacy, one that could be enhanced with at least one more national title in Tuscaloosa before he steps away.

No matter what Saban accomplishes the rest of his career, he will go down as one of the best college football coaches ever. His lack of success in the NFL has long been nothing more than a footnote.